Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships

About the Commonwealth Split-site Scholarship:
The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) is one of the largest and most prestigious scholarship schemes for international study in the world. Since it was established in 1959, around 30,000 individuals have benefited – 25,000 of them have held awards funded by the UK Government, managed by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the United Kingdom (CSC).

Funding Body:
These scholarships are funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID).

Duration:
You can apply for a Commonwealth Split-site (PhD) Scholarship to support up to 12 months’ study at an eligible UK university as part of a PhD being undertaken in your home country, under the joint supervision of home country and UK academics.

Eligibility:
To apply for these scholarships, you must:

-Be a Commonwealth citizen, refugee, or British protected person

-Be permanently resident in a developing Commonwealth country

-Be registered for a PhD at a university in your home country

-Be available to start your academic studies in the UK by the start of the UK academic year in September/October 2016

-By October 2016, hold a first degree of at least upper second class (2:1) honours standard, or a second class degree and a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a Master’s degree)

Approved airfare from your home country to the UK and return at the end of your award (the CSC will not reimburse the cost of fares for dependents, nor usually the cost of journeys made before your award is finally confirmed)

Approved tuition and examination fees

Stipend (living allowance) at the rate of £1,034 per month, or £1,268 per month for those at universities in the London metropolitan area (rates quoted at 2015-2016 levels)

Thesis grant towards the cost of preparing a thesis or dissertation, where applicable

Warm clothing allowance

Study travel grant towards the costs of study-related travel within the UK or overseas

If you are widowed, divorced, or a single parent, child allowance of £444 per month for the first child, and £109 per month for the second and third child under the age of 16, if you are accompanied by your children and solely legally responsible for them

Subjects:
All areas are eligible, although the CSC’s selection criteria give priority to applications that demonstrate the strongest relevance to development.

Selection Process:
Once received by the CSC, each candidate’s application is first considered by a member of the CSC’s panel of advisers with expertise in the subject area concerned, and then by the CSC’s selection committee in competition with other candidates.

Applications are considered according to the following selection criteria:

Academic merit of the candidate

Quality of the proposal

Potential impact of the work on the development of the candidate’s home country

How to apply
You must make your application directly to the CSC using the CSC’s Electronic Application System (EAS). Click here for full information on how to use the EAS, including detailed guides.

You are not required to apply via a nominating body for these scholarships.

Application Deadline: All applications must be submitted by 23.59 (GMT) on 19 November 2015 at the latest. Please note that this is an earlier deadline than in previous years.